Illinois Tollway Oasis History

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The Illinois Tollway "Oasis" restaurants are unique highway rest
areas built on bridges over the roadway, accessible to people
traveling in both directions. Most of them are in the Chicago area.

The original five Oases were built in 1959 by Standard Oil
of Indiana (Amoco), on land leased from the Tollway Authority.
The architect was PACE Associates, which stood for "Planning,
Architecture, and Civil Engineering".

The two photos above are from old postcards. The second one was
also used on various souvenir items, including the backs of playing
cards,
ceramic plates
(several designs), and even
cigarette lighters.

The Oases were extensively remodeled in 1984 when the fast food
chains took over from Howard Johnson, and Mobil replaced Amoco.
The two oases on the Northwest Tollway (I-90) were run by
McDonalds, while the four on the Tri-state (I-294) alternated
between Wendys and Burger King (plus Popeye's Chicken at
Lincoln, and Connie's Pizza at O'Hare). The gas stations were
also rebuilt, with full canopies and a much smaller building
between straight rows of pumps.

The Oasis buildings are currently being torn down and rebuilt.
The contractor is Wilton Partners of Los Angeles, and the lease
will be for 25 years.
The computer rendering above is from a poster displayed
at the oases just before and during the construction.
Click here for construction photos.

Mobil will continue to run the new gas stations, which will
include a convenience store and a carwash (these have already
been built at all locations except Hinsdale).

The five original Oases had heavy stainless steel entrance doors
made by the
Ellison Bronze Company. This photo is from an ad they placed
in an architecure magazine at the time (see the entire ad
here,
thanks to Rich Kummerlowe for providing this scan). Note the 1950s
cars reflected in the glass, and the gas station behind them to the
left.

These doors had unusual hinges that allowed them to pivot inward
as they swung out, so they ended up next to the door jamb instead
of swinging out from it (see sketch).
This is supposed to make them easier to open in windy conditions,
or when there are air pressure differences between the inside and
outside of the building. Unfortunately it also prevents them from
opening wider than 90 degrees, which surprises some people who
expect them to open wider. This type of door was first designed in
1928, and is still in production.

All of the main entrance doors at the Oases were eventually
replaced with modern aluminum doors, which were much lighter than
the original stainless steel ones and had normal hinges. Most of
the original side doors remained (these were back entrances to
the restaurants, and many of them were no longer used).

A seventh "oasis" was built near De Kalb in 1972 (now run by
McDonalds), but that one sits at ground level next to the
roadway, with a ramp over the highway for access from both
directions. It doesn't look anything like the other Oasis
buildings. There is also a McDonalds in the median on the Chicago
Skyway, which is owned by the City of Chicago and is not part of
the Tollway (it looks just like any other McDonalds building).
The Skyway has been deteriorating for years, but is now being
reconstructed.

I've been told that there are quite a few over-the-road rest
areas in Italy and France, and a few in Germany, but I don't
have photos of any of them. In the US, there are quite a few rest
areas built in the median, but they are all at ground level. One
in New York has parking areas next to the highway with pedestrian
bridges to a building in the median.

There are several websites about Fred Harvey (who died in 1901),
but none of them mention the oases.

Other observations:

On the Friday before Memorial Day weekend in 1979, an engine fell off
a DC-10 that was taking off from O'Hare airport (American Airlines
Flight
191). The plane crashed in a field about 1/4 mile from the DesPlaines
Oasis, between Touhy Ave and the Tollway. The runway points almost
directly toward the Oasis. The plane was headed for Los Angeles,
and had a full load of fuel.

Two movies have scenes that were filmed at the oases. "The Blues
Brothers"
has a scene that takes place in the parking lot of the DesPlaines Oasis
(with Carrie Fisher and the flamethrower). "Thief", starring James Caan,
has a scene that is supposed to take place in the dining room of the
O'Hare Oasis (it was actually filmed in the hallway on the opposite
side of the building, next to the windows).

Each oasis has hidden access roads on each side, which are used
for deliveries to the restaurants. There is a small employee
parking lot just outside the gate. I've heard that the gates are
often left unlocked, and are occasionally used to avoid
tollbooths.

The northbound entrance to the Hinsdale oasis is combined with
the on-ramp from I-55, so you have to "exit" twice. This extra
ramp was built in the 1980s, because otherwise traffic exiting to
the Oasis would have to cross traffic entering from I-55.